Rome: Italy reported 41 new deaths from coronavirus bringing the death toll to 148, the second highest outside of China, where just over 3,000 people have died since the outbreak began in December.
The virus has reached all 22 regions of Italy, and prompted Rome to take unprecedented measures, including suspending all schools and universities and unveiling an $8.4-billion rescue plan.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom reported its first death from coronavirus on Thursday, an elderly person with underlying health conditions, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and South Africa reported their first cases.
In the United States, Congress has voted for a $8.3bn emergency funding package to fight the coronavirus as the death toll rose to 11.
Iran is limiting travel between its major cities as it tries to halt the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed at least 107 people there.
The country has already shut schools until April, and Health Minister Saeed Namaki said people should not use the break as an opportunity to travel.
He also urged Iranians to reduce the use of paper banknotes.
The measures come as the World Health Organization warned some countries were not doing enough to stop the virus.
But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted containment was still possible, adding: “This is not a time to give up.”
Worldwide, authorities have confirmed more than 92,000 cases of the virus, of which more than 80,000 are in China.
More than 3,000 people have died globally, the vast majority of them in China.
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